That jar of fermented garlic honey I forgot in the back of my pantry for 6 months changed everything

I found a jar of garlic honey I started last spring behind some canned beans. I made it back in March and completely forgot about it until I was reorganizing last week. The honey had turned this dark amber color and the garlic cloves were soft like caramels. I was nervous to try it but figured it was just honey and garlic so how bad could it be. Man it was amazing. Smoky sweet with this gentle garlic heat that didn't burn at all. Now I'm making three jars on purpose and setting reminders on my phone to check them at 3 months and 6 months. Anybody else found a forgotten ferment that turned out way better than the short batches you plan for?

2 comments

2 Comments

thea_mitchell2019d ago

Oh man I have to respectfully disagree with this one! I found a jar of garlic honey I hid in the back of my cabinet for like 8 months one time and it was the most disappointing thing ever. The honey got super dark and the garlic was soft yeah but it just tasted like really old honey with a weird flat garlic flavor that was almost musty. I think the trick is you have to burp the jar every so often or something because mine got this yeasty sour note that totally ruined it for me. Maybe I did something wrong but I honestly think those short 3 week ferments taste way cleaner and brighter than the long aged stuff everyone raves about.

lindamartin19d agoTop Commenter

See I had the exact opposite experience with a 7 month old jar I forgot about in the back of my pantry. The honey turned almost black like molasses and the garlic cloves were basically these jammy little flavor bombs that tasted like roasted garlic but way more complex with this almost balsamic tang to it. No mustiness at all just deep rich umami stuff. Burping is definitely key though if you let it sit too long without letting gas out it can get that yeasty thing going on for sure.